Around 10,000 personnel were deployed in this survey done in the reserve and other forest areas to determine the number of wild elephants in the State.

The three-day exercise, conducted in about 129,700 square kilometres of forest area was done to determine the exact number of jumbos.he trained personnel were provided necessary kits to track the elephants in the wild through their footmarks and dung prior to the exercise.

It was reported that they would sit and wait on Machans (structures made of bamboos and leaves) to sight the elephants.

Divisional Forest Officer, Chandaka Range, A K Patnaik, said the direct sighting method was used to spot the herd of elephants.